Lance Martin, Herald Senior Staff Writer

Advertisement

ROANOKE RAPIDS - Businesses could see a decrease in their insurance rates after the Office of the State Fire Marshall gave the Roanoke Rapids Fire Department a 4 rating following a recent inspection.

Homeowners will have to wait until the rate drops to a 3 to realize insurance savings, Fire Chief Gary Corbet said Friday.

The 4 rating is effective Sept. 1, according to a press release from the state Department of Insurance. That will equal about a 2 percent savings, Chrissy Pearson, spokesperson for the department, said Friday.

The 4 rating is an improvement over the previous rating of 5, the press release says, adding that a higher rating means a department is better equipped to respond to the fires. “Higher ratings can also significantly lower homeowners' insurance rates in that fire district.”

Several improvements were made in equipment and testing of hydrants and hoses and pumps to help the fire department see a lower rating, Corbet said.

Insurance Commissioner Jim Long said in the news release, “I'd like to congratulate Chief Corbet for his department's performance and for the hard work of all the department members. The citizens in the city of Roanoke Rapids should rest easy knowing they have a fine group of firefighters protecting them and their property in case of an emergency.”

The inspections, which are done every five years, look at a department's ability to, among other things, receive and handle fire alarms, water supply, proper staffing, equipment and turnout gear.

The fire department got a score of 65.16 out of 100 to achieve what Corbet described as a solid 4 rating. It needs a score of 70, however, to reach a 3 rating, which will help homeowners.

The department received high marks for water supply and Corbet credited the Roanoke Rapids Sanitary District for doing “a great job” to maintain hydrants.

It also received maximum credits for its pumper capacity and ladder 145 and engine 144. Reserve engine 142 also received high marks.

While the department continually trains in areas such as hazardous materials, high angle, rope rescue, medical response and other necessary training, it took a hit in its rating for night and multi-company drills, something Corbet said they planned to improve in order to get the 3 rating.

One of the ways Corbet plans to get that training is by using the old Station 2 on Hamilton Street.

The fire department has turned the dorm of the building into a classroom, which will allow firefighters from the two stations to meet there for training.

Corbet plans to use the metal building at the old fire station for training, complete with props for such exercises as search and rescue, forced entry and air pack confidence training, “which will give us more credit with the Department of Insurance.”

While the inspections are done every five years, the department can request a rating inspection at any time, something Corbet plans to do next spring to account for improvements made over the past year in an attempt to bring the rating to a 3.

The rating also has some unseen value, the chief said. “It shows the guys worked very hard for this. They did a lot with a little,” he said, adding later, “It gives the guys a sense of accomplishment.”